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Thursday, January 6, 2011

Gluten Free & Egg Free Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

This weekend I decided to try to make a gluten free version of Oreo Cakesters. You know those big, chocolatey, gluten ladened treats that we don't or can't eat.

I tried several recipe "conversions" from the internet and to be completely honest, they looked great, but the texture, or the taste, or both, just wasn't there. I did not have success with any of them, so, I turned to my successful cookie recipes for a starting point. I mean, the answer had to lie somewhere between a good soft cookie and a good chocolate cake, right?

This next picture is of two different batches of failures.

See, they look great! The stack on the left was chewy/crunchy, not soft, but that kind of crunch that turns into a chew after a few chomps. The rounder ones on the right side of the picture turned out to be hollow and hard as peanut brittle. These were not fit for consumption. (the cream filling was delicious). I have to admit that I liked the color of these earlier attempts. This can be attained with the addition of more cocoa to the recipe if you think it needs it. I suggest trying it as is first though as it is very chocolatey.

Begin by cutting the butter into chunks and setting out in a bowl to soften to room temperature.

Now whisk the flax meal together with the 6 tablespoons of water and set out to get goopy. This is the egg replacement. It will thicken over time. (On a side note, I love the read from above Pyrex measuring cup I got for Christmas)

Next mix all the flours and starches together with the salt, baking powder, xanthan gum, and cocoa. Whisk together thoroughly.

Next, when the butter is softened, cream together the butter and the sugar using your stand mixer.

Add in the vanilla and the Flax Meal egg replacement mixture at this time and continue creaming together.

Add the cocoa flour mixture a third at a time so the mixer won't kick up too much flour dust. Mix each third in thoroughly. (I switched to dough hooks after the first third.)

The dough isn't very sticky at all and can be picked up by hand and formed into a block.

I dusted my rolling mat with the sweet rice flour/cocoa mixture. I put the block of dough in the center, dusted the top of it, then rolled it out. Roll out the dough to not less than 1/4 inch (I did mine a bit thicker).
I used a small kids drinking glass to stamp out the circles.

Pick up the remaining dough and work it in your hands until it all incorporates back into one solid mass. Then repeat the rolling out. Repeat this step until all the dough has been used.

Place 1 inch apart on cookie tins and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 8-10 minutes. (less baking time gets softer cookies, and they burn quickly so keep a close eye on them.)

Cream these ingredients together thoroughly. Spread a small dab into the center of the bottom of one cookie. Place a second cookie and smash together until the cream begins to bulge slightly out the side.

Nothing left to do but serve and watch the smiling faces light up with joy!